Jane

2017

Such editing-suite sleights of hand may displease purists, and so will an insistent score by Philip Glass, whose melodious montage glue has become something of a documentary cliché. But the flip side of such freehandedness is that “Jane,” like Mr. Morgen’s “Chicago 10” and “The Kid Stays in the Picture” (which he directed with Nanette Burstein), is involving and immediate. . . . “Jane” will delight those familiar with Ms. Goodall and provide a vibrant introduction for newcomers.

The real prize here is that the material was shot in Ektochrome and was perfectly preserved by National Geographic. The grandeur of the colors in this footage -- rich jade- and kelly-green foliage, emerald skies at dusk, and the resonant ambers and hazels of the eyes of the chimpanzees -- make Jane a must-see simply on formalist terms. Seldom does a documentary provide such pure sensuous pleasures.

Making Jane, Morgen had the rare privilege of access to over 100 hours of footage shot by Hugo van Lawick, renowned wildlife photographer and Goodall’s first husband. . . . Just as, in the film, Goodall asserts her belief in the importance both of fate and of hard work in the achievement of success, Morgen proves himself simultaneously profoundly lucky and diligently deserving of the gift of these hours of beautiful, candid footage, which he spent many months restoring to vivid colour and sound.

One of the year's major documentaries, JANE serves as a wonderful introduction to Jane Goodall's life and career but its storied subject shouldn't overshadow its innovative method. This is a work that has more to teach filmmakers, editors, and historians than it does wildlife biologists. . . . Morgen takes this method to another level, not merely fluffing up and padding out the available footage but shaping it into a coherent and continuous grammar.